Piano fall-board.



J. R. A. LANG. PIANO FALL BOARD. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 190a.

Patented June 8, 1909.

lNVENTOH fiiznfi. d5. Lang WITNESSES A TTOHNEYS JOHN R. A. LANG, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

PIANO FALL-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909.

Application filed August 6, 1908. Serial No. e l-7,22%.

T 0 all 207mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jenn R. A. LANG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Vernon, in the county of Vsestchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Piano Fall-Board, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improvement in fall boards for pianos and such like musical instruments, being more especiall designed for automatic pianos wherein considerable. room is taken up by the automatic mechanism, necessitating an enlargement of the piano case over that of the normal. In pro dueing my improved piano l'al board, it is my purpose to construct the same so that it will fold compactly together when raised, and admit of the piano-playing mechanism being installed in the confines of an ordinary piano ease or a case only slightly larger. To this end I provide a key board cover rabbeted at opposite longitudinal edges, with the rahbeted portions on opposite faces, and hinge to one edge a front fall foldable in the adjacent rabbeted portion of the key board when the fall board. is raised, and hinge the opposite edge a backfall having a foot movable into the other rabbeted portion of the key board cover when the fall board is lowered.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a piano case havin my improved fall board applied thereto, the board being shown in lowered position; and Fig. 2 is a corresponding sectional view showing the board in raised position.

For the purpose of illustratin the application of my improven'ient I have shown an ordinary form of piano case 5 having the usual extended portion at the front for receiving the key board 6.

The fall board is constructed principally of three parts, a key board cover '7, a frontl'all S and a backfall 9, the frontl'all and the backi fall being respectively hinged to the opposite longitudinal edges of the key hoard cover,

which as shown, is rabbeted on opposite faces at these edges, the front or under rabbeted portlon being oi such extent as to admit of the frontfall folding therein when the i fall board is raised, as shown in Fig. 2, and

the rear or upper rabbeted portion receiving h lower end or foot of the bacl 'all and viding a seattherefor when the fall board i l wered. This foot, as shown, is preferbl curved to give the hoard a neat linish h lowered, at which time the backi'all moves to the front, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

In applying the fall heard to the piano ea the rear or bottom edge of the key p -d cover has arms 11 applied thereto, as snown', through which pass pins or screws 13, pivotally supporting the board on the case. The top of the piano case above the backfall is pro vided with shouldered notches l 4 at one or more points for receiving the same number of correspondingly-arranged pins 15 placed in the top edge of the backfall, and in connection therewith provide a stop for preventwhen the fall board is lowered. A stop 16 is also provided at one or both sides of the piano case for preventing the backfall from dropping inwardly when the fall board is raised. To the front or under side of the key board cover are appliei'l knobs 17, which not only serve as handles in lowering the board, but also as a partial support for the key board cover, as illustrat d in Fig. 1, wherein it will be seen that when the board is lowered the knobs rest on the blocks at the opposite ends of the key board. In lowering the board the knobs 17 are grasped and the key board cover pulled forward, which causes the frontfall to pass out of the rabbeted portion of the key hoard cover under the :ICLlOll of gravity, at which time the hands are moved from the knobs to the frentfall and the board fullylowered. As the key board cover drops, the shoulder afforded by the rabbeted portion at its rear edge contacts with the edge of the backfall and carries it to the front of the piano case. In raising the board the reverse operation is performed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination of a key beard cover having rabbeted opposite longitudinal edges on opposite faces, a frontfall hinged. at one edge of the key board and i'oldable into the adjacent rabbeted portion, and a backfall hinged at the opposite edge of the key board cover and movable into the other rabbeted 1 portion.

mg the baekfall from dro wing to the front 7 O L \V.

2. The combination of a key board cover having rabbeted opposite longitudinal edges, a frontfall hinged to one longitudinal edge of the key board cover and foldable into the ad jacent rabbeted portion thereof when the able into the adjacent rabbeted portion when the cover is raised, and a backi'all having a curved foot hinged at the opposite side of the cover and movable into the other rabbeted ortion thereof when the cover is lowered.

4. The combination of a piano case, a key board cover hinged to the case and having a rabbeted longitudinal edge, a backfall hinged to the rear of the key board cover, and a frontfall hinged to the front of said cover and movable into the rabbeted portion thereof when the key board cover is raised.

5. The combination of a piano case, a key board cover hinged at the rear to the case and having an adjacent rabbeted longitudinal edge, a backfall hinged to the key board cover adjacent to said rabbeted edge and having a curved foot movable thereinto when the cover is raised, and a frontfall hinged to the opposite longitudinal edge of the cover.

6. The combination of a piano case having a shoulder in the top thereof, a key board cover hinged at one edge to the case, a backfall hinged to the key board cover adjacent to the hinged edge thereof, a frontfall hinged to the opposite longitudinal edge of the cover, and a projection carried by the backfall, movable into contact with the shoulder of the case when the key board cover is lowered.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN R. A. LANG.

WVitnesses:

A. V. W. SETLEY, A. DALRYMPLE. 

